Paul was still on the subject of slavery and with good reason. Slavery was a venerable institution in his day and age. It provided an economic means to save oneself in financial hard times and it was surrounded by rules to prevent it from becoming abusive. The Gentiles and the Jews had different systems of slavery, but they both were familiar with the institutions.

“Tell me, you who want to be under the law, don’t you hear the law?
For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave and the other by a free woman. But the one by the slave was born according to the flesh, while the one by the free woman was born as the result of a promise.

"These things are illustrations, for the women represent the two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai and bears children into slavery—this is Hagar. Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother. For it is written: Rejoice, O barren woman who does not give birth. Break forth and shout, you who are not in labor, for the children of the desolate are many, more numerous than those of the woman who has a husband.” Galatians 4:21-27

In these verses the apostle illustrated the difference between believers who rested in Christ only and those Judaizers who trusted in the law. He compared the story of Sarah, the mother of Isaac and Hagar, the mother of Ishmael. Again, this was a very familiar story in Jewish synagogues. The Judaizers would have made sure the Galatians were familiar with it. Paul’s take on the story differed a bit from theirs, however.

Paul introduced the subject by asking the Galatians if they had actually heard the law.  They wanted to be under the law, so they should be familiar with what it teaches. Paul sought to impress upon their minds the illogical action they were taking and thereby convince them of their great weakness in departing from the truth.  The gospel had given them liberty. Why would they now desire to enslave themselves? 

Paul briefly related the history of Sarah and Hagar in case their familiarity was only fleeting.  Abraham had two sons.  Ishmael, the oldest was born of a bond-maid while Isaac, the youngest was born of a free woman.  Sarah had been promised a child of her and Abraham’s seed, but she’d become impatient with the process and had given her bond-maid to Abraham to produce an heir.  God, in due time, kept His promise and Isaac was born.  Ishmael was the child of flesh while Isaac was the child of promise.

These examples, he explained, are allegory.  Hagar and Sarah represent the two covenants.  The former – represented by Hagar – was given at Mount Sinai.  Like the representative slave woman, the covenant given at Sinai, was a covenant of bondage, for keeping of rules, rites and calendars.  Hagar had no control over her life. She was forced to do what Abraham and Sarah decided.  Sarah on the other hand represents the promise of Messiah, Jesus Christ.  The free woman had given up on a child just as Israel had largely given up on Messiah, but God kept His promise in both cases. He gave Sarah Isaac and He gave the world Jesus. The nation that Hagar spawned became the Arabs who lived in the 1^st Century as they live today in brutal bondage to works religions (see the Five Pillars of Islam). Sarah birthed Israel that was given freedom through Jesus Christ.  Paul quoted Isaiah 54:1 “Rejoice, O barren woman who does not give birth. Break forth and shout, you who are not in labor, for the children of the desolate are many, more numerous than those of the woman who has a husband.” for Scriptural support.

“Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise. But just as then the child born according to the flesh persecuted the one born according to the Spirit, so also now.

"But what does the Scripture say? Throw out the slave and her son, for the son of the slave will never inherit with the son of the free woman. 

"Therefore, brothers, we are not children of the slave but of the free woman." Galatians 4:28-31

Having explained the history, he then turned to the present explanation.  Christians, he said, are like Isaac – children of the promise.  We who have accepted Christ as Savior and Lord, who put our trust in justifications are entitled to the promised inheritance of Abraham. However, the Jews were tenacious in declaring the correctness of the law and this might cause some Christians to stumble. For 13 years, Hagar had assumed that Ishmael was the heir of Abraham, until Isaac was born. The Jews considered themselves the children of the promise, but now Jesus had come and those who accept Him by faith are the children of the promise.

Paul referred his readers to Scripture, where in Genesis 21:10 it said to Throw out the slave and her son, for the son of the slave will never inherit with the son of the free woman. “

Paul then made a bold statement. Christians are not the children of the slave woman, but the offspring of the free woman!

There are those who claim the title of Christian today who want to hinder Christianity with rules and rites. I don’t think you need me to name them. They are the Judaizers of our day. They enjoy the forms and formalities of liturgical ceremonies and hierarchies. They seek to honor God through doing something, usually performing some ritual. Here, Paul was clear; it’s not the keeping of calendars or rituals that saves us. We did not come to Jesus by doing anything. We came to Jesus by faith, by accepting what He had done on the cross. We do not remain with Jesus by doing anything other than daily reaffirming in our own minds and spirits the faith that brought us to Him in the first place. Works don’t save us. In and of themselves, they enslave us.

Are we free in Christ through faith or bond to the law of works?  We can’t be both.  Paul was clear in this regard. If we would rather perform some stylized ritual than talk honestly with Jesus Christ, we have chosen slavery over freedom and, unless we correct that, we join Hagar and Ishmael in the wilderness rather than enter into Jesus’ inheritance. Which will we choose?  We must choose, for there is no middle ground.

My children are still at home because they are not old enough to live independently. However, I am of an age where many of my friends have children who are young adults. By this, I don’t mean teenagers, but those old enough to be done with their schooling and employed. A characteristic of these young adults appears to be failure to mature. They have the skills, but it’s so much easier to rely on Mom and Dad for things, so they return to the family nest from time to time. Another characteristic is that they expect to be treated as adults while they live in their parents’ home.  Hmm?

I think Paul knew how my friends feel.

Paul truly felt concern for the Galatians and their unwise choices. They had taken on Christ and should be grown adults (spiritually speaking), but they wanted to return to a less mature status, even a status they themselves had never before claimed. Paul wanted them to understand what they were risking. As sometimes works to persuade people, he posed a series of questions designed to make them think about their choices.

“But in the past, when you didn’t know God, you were enslaved to things that by nature are not gods. But now, since you know God, or rather have become known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and bankrupt elemental forces? Do you want to be enslaved to them all over again? You observe special days, months, seasons, and years. I am fearful for you, that perhaps my labor for you has been wasted. I beg you, brothers: become like me, for I also became like you.

“You have not wronged me; you know that previously I preached the gospel to you in physical weakness, and though my physical condition was a trial for you,  you did not despise or reject me. On the contrary, you received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus Himself. What happened to this blessedness of yours? For I testify to you that, if possible, you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me. Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth?” Galatians 4:8-16

Remember, Paul said, before you were Christians, when you were enslaved to the elemental (earthly) forces of this world.  Now that you know God and are known by Him, do you really want to exchange that relationship to return to a similar kind of slavery?  Do you want to observe holy days based upon the calendar?

Remember when I came to you.  I was physically weak and that was a burden to you, but you didn’t reject me. On the contrary, you welcomed me with open arms. What happened to that affection you once felt? I remember when you would have blinded yourself for me, if necessary. How did that devotion turn into enmity? Do you resent that I told you the truth?

Paul had been friends with the Galatians. He had truly felt welcome in their communities. Yet now, they were angry with him because of what he had taught. He wanted them to remember that past affection and to question the source of their anger. He also wanted to assure them that he was not angry with them on his own behalf. He knew they had been deceived. He wanted the Galatians to reconcile with himself, but more so to reconcile once more with Jesus.

I would note that the Galatians sound very Celtic to me. Being from an Irish family myself, I know the mercurial temperaments of some branches of that ancient nationality. They can change emotional directions at the drop of a hat. Paul no doubt was flabbergasted by their easily shifting allegiances, and the anger at him this was producing. He sought to get them to think about the logic of their behavior and conflicting beliefs, because he knew that they could convince themselves of the truth if only they would think about it.

“They  The false teacheare enthusiastic about you, but not for any good. Instead, they want to isolate you so you will be enthusiastic about them. Now it is always good to be enthusiastic about good—and not just when I am with you.

"My children, again I am in the pains of childbirth for you until Christ is formed in you. I’d like to be with you right now and change my tone of voice, because I don’t know what to do about you.”  Galatians 4:17-20

Upon establishing his character and the former relationship with the Galatians, Paul then turned his attention to the character of the false teachers. They had zeal for bringing the Galatians to their system of beliefs, but their purposes were not good. They sought to isolate the Galatians, to keep them from hearing other points of view. 

I always think of this as a sign of heresy, that a group attempts to prevent their membership from hearing other points of view. There are groups in history as well as groups today who hold as a hallmark that what they teach and only what they teach, should be entertained by their members. While we should hold gospel truth as precious, we should not be afraid to hear differing opinions because in the hearing, we often will strengthen our faith. To hear is not to accept, it is merely to give respect. When falseness and heresy are discovered, we who know the truth are free to reject that which is not truth. Groups that attempt to isolate their members from hearing other points of view often appear to have something to hide, like a deviation from the Bible. They fear their members will follow the truth if they hear it.

Paul assured his readers that zeal toward good things is worthwhile, and not just when he’s in their company. When a group becomes zealous for evil things, however, zeal becomes harmful. We should direct our passion toward issues that are true and worthwhile.

Paul truly grieved for the Galatians. He felt like he was evangelizing them all over again. He used the powerful picture of childbirth labor to convey the strength of his distress for them. He truly wished he could be with them so that he might somehow divine a way to convince them of the truth.

Paul’s chief concern was that the Galatians return in faith to Jesus Christ. Now, this does not mean they weren’t Christians. Paul addresses the general churches of Galatian, but he still calls them churches. Churches were the congregations of believers. Therefore, the Galatians were Christians. Paul remembered them coming to the Lord. Yet this situation of growing heresy in the churches was rapidly destroying any witness for faith they might have. They were actually spreading the heresy. This needed to be stopped before it went any further. Paul sought to do this by confronting the issues and reminding the Galatians of what he had previously taught. 

The Law was both a good thing and a bad thing and Paul strove to teach his readers this dichotomy.

Although Paul ultimately saw the Law as a chain wrapped around God’s people, he also gave it due recognition. It had helped to mature Israel during many long centuries of growth prior to the coming of Christ. Paul used the example of a highly valued employee in rich Greek homes – the tutor. The Law was like that and Paul recognized the benefits of it.

“The Law, then, was our guardian until Christ, so that we could be justified by faith. But since that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.

“For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, heirs according to the promise.”  Galatians 3:24-29

In wealthy Grecian homes, the tutor essentially raised the children – primarily the male heir. For all we know, Paul had been raised by a tutor, since his parents were Hellenistic Jews living in a Grecian area. The tutor was a servant – often a slave by choice – who lived with the family and trained the children to be good citizens through education, social responsibility, and manners. They were every bit as important to the upbringing of the children as the parents – maybe more so, because while they acted in the parents’ authority, they spent far more time with the children than the parent. Eventually, however, children reached the age of majority. In some cultures this was a legal age, but in Grecian society this was often determined by the tutor who reported to the father. At that point, some ceremony would occur that would mark the passage of the heir from child to adult. Once this occurred, the heir was no longer under the tutor.

Prior to this coming-of-age, the heir was no different than a slave and was in fact under a slave’s authority. His parents could sell him into slavery. They could tell the tutor to beat him, or the tutor could beat him if he thought the kid needed it. The parents could pass him over for the inheritance and give it to another child. He had no rights but what his parents gave him. But when he became an adult and was legally declared the heir, he had rights and responsibilities and these could not be taken from him by those who had given it to him – his parents. The tutor, acting in the parents’ authority, was both instructor and disciplinarian.

Before the coming of faith through Jesus Christ, the Law had provided severe penalties for the Israelites to help keep them close to God. It had helped them curtail their passions and pointed toward Jesus as Messiah so that they might be justified by faith. At the same time, while it pointed to Jesus and salvation, it also pronounced a curse on them for their disobedience. Like a tutor, it both instructed and disciplined.

As I said, there was a ceremony involved in the heir being named an adult. The maturation had taken place already and the tutor had reported to the father that the child was ready to be considered a man. The ceremony had no magical benefits. It simply showed what had already occurred in the heart of the man.

In the Christian life, baptism is our coming-out ceremony. We declare to the world that we are no longer a part of the world, but that we belong to Jesus. Thus, from the subject of maturity and the Law as instructor, Paul turned to baptism. The coming-of-age ceremony didn’t change the man who had grown under the tutor. It simply declared what had already occurred. The heir was ready to follow his father in the family business. Baptism  -- a symbol of a believer’s faith and obedience to God is a clear step toward taking on the attributes of Jesus. Some see it as analogous to circumcision as both announce our entry into the kingdom of God, but there are vast differences that cannot be ignored. Circumcision was/is performed on infants too young to decide for themselves whether to follow God or not. Perhaps this explains some of Israel’s constant wavering. A promise made by our parents binds us less than a decision made by ourselves. Baptism is always seen in the Bible as being performed on those mature enough to profess faith in Jesus Christ. This is a great difference in these two rites of passage. The Judaizers wanted to know why the coming of Christ would set aside circumcision, since it had served the Jews so well for so long. Paul answered, “because those who have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” Theirs was a personal choice, not a ritual followed as a promise of future choices. Baptism supersedes circumcision and it is a ceremony taken as a step of understanding, not as a ritual performed on an infant. 

There were some who felt that if the Law was of use during Israel’s maturation, it should also be of use for the Gentiles. Paul argued against this. Mature adults don’t require a tutor any longer. That doesn’t nullify the work of the tutor in the person’s younger years, but it puts it in its proper perspective. The Law as tutor was necessary in immaturity, but adults can choose to accept their inheritance. Christians – whether Jew or Gentile – had taken on Christ and that makes us spiritual adults. We don’t need the Law to tutor us any longer. This does not mean the lessons of the Law are not of value, but that obeying the Law for the sake of salvation is ineffective.

“Now I say that as long as the heir is a child, he differs in no way from a slave, though he is the owner of everything. Instead, he is under guardians and stewards until the time set by his father.

"In the same way we also, when we were children, were in slavery under the elemental forces of the world. But when the completion of the time came, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, to redeem those under the Law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba, Father!” 

"So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.”  Galatians 4-1-7

Paul explained that Christians (both Jew and Gentile) have grown up. We are not now treated as minor children, but as grown sons. We enjoy greater freedoms and larger privileges than Israel did while it was under the Law. We are not mere servants of God. We are His adopted heirs. Our communion with God is much closer, more personal.

The temporary institution of the Law acted as our school master, limiting our behavioral choices. Now that Christ has come, we are fully mature and no longer in need of the discipline of the school master. In our majority, we can still learn from the Law, but we are not required to continue following the Law.

And, this is where some stumble, because we so want there to be something definable that puts our name in the Book of Faith. The simple act of acknowledging God’s place in our life just doesn’t seem to be enough. We want to assure that our children will be in the Book of Faith as well and we all know that children won’t necessarily obey us.  Therefore, the Jews wanted circumcision. The Judaizers continued to cling to this ritual as a proof of salvation. They were clinging to an illusion. They had fallen in love with a symbol rather than reality. I believe that, over time, the call for circumcision changed to a call for baptism. No where in the Bible does it say baptism is required for salvation. We can find passages where baptism is the first thing done after salvation, but we can find no passages where baptism is performed before salvation. Nowhere do we see infants being baptized. If we want it to be there, we can find passages where it might have been there, but we can find no passages where it definitely was there. Whatever the early Church Fathers of the 2^nd and 3^rd Centuries believed about baptism is immaterial. We have what the apostles believed about baptism recorded in the Bible and what they believed is far more important than what someone 100 years later believed.

Don’t get me wrong! Believer’s Baptism is an important rite in the Christian churches and should be administered, preferably by immersion, at the earliest available time after salvation, because it is a first step of obedience in a new Christian life. It is a symbol of burying our sin in Jesus and arising new to life in Him. We should not worship the symbol, however! Christians are called to worship Jesus Himself. Baptism does not save us. By itself, baptism is a work and nothing more. The salvation that precedes it is far more important. Without faith making us new, baptism is just a bath. This is why true baptism cannot be performed on infants, because infants lack the mental capacity to understand and execute faith. Without faith, the child is just receiving a ceremonial bath and that does nothing for his soul.

As mature believers, we should know this. Our relationship with Jesus relies on something far stronger than rituals and rules. It relies on salvation. But salvation by faith exercises trust. We must trust God that He doesn’t need any more from us than our obedience.

Oh, but relationship is so hard and we do like our rituals, don’t we? So did the Galatians!  And, Paul saw that as a huge problem.  The Judaizers wanted the Galatians to remain children, bound under the instruction of the Law, but they had taken on Christ and no longer required a tutor.  It was time for them to become adults!

Abraham lived a long time before Jesus Christ. The Jews look to him as the founder of their nation. Very few people think of him as a man who lived by faith. Abraham lived 400 years before the Law was given to Moses. 400 years! What was the basis of his relationship with God? Did he perish upon death as one who didn’t follow the Law? Of course not! Like James before him, Paul knew far more about Abraham than the Jews did.

Having reproved the Galatians for not obeying the truth, Paul tried to impress them with the foolishness of their disobedience. He then turned to proving the doctrine of justification by faith without the works of the Law. He started with an example that would be familiar to Jews, especially to the Judaizers who were attempting to re-educate the Galatians.

“Just as Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness, (Gn 15:6) so understand that those who have faith are Abraham’s sons. Now the Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith and foretold the good news to Abraham, saying, All the nations will be blessed in you. (Gn 12:3; 18:18)  So those who have faith are blessed with Abraham, who had faith.” Galatians 3:6-9

Paul would later use the example of Abraham’s justification in Romans 4, but here, he just touched on the subject. Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness. His faith had been attached to the promise of God, predicated on the belief that God owned him as a righteous man. The Judaizers considered Abraham to be the father of the faithful, so Paul explained that Abraham’s descendents are not just his children in the flesh, but those who have claimed the promises of faith. The Galatians (like Christians today) were justified in the same way as Abraham. Abraham was justified by faith; so were they. Paul quoted from Genesis 12:3 for this purpose. The Scripture had foretold that the Gentiles would come to God by faith. Paul claimed this to be the gospel:  that Abraham’s heirs, no matter their nationality, were blessed by Abraham’s faithfulness, by the promise God made to him, and by the same faith as Abraham exhibited. It is through faith that true believers are made and it is only through faith that others obtain the promise made to Abraham.

“For all who rely on The bracketed text has been added for clarity. the works of the Law are under a curse, because it is written: Cursed is everyone who does not continue doing everything written in the book of the Law.  Now it is clear that no one is justified before God by the Law, because the righteous will live by faith. (Hab 2:4)
 
"But the Law is not based on faith; instead, the one who does these things will live by them. (Lv 18:5)  Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the Law by becoming a curse for us, because it is written: Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree. (Dt 21:23) The purpose was that the blessing of Abraham would come to the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, so that we could receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

"Brothers, I’m using a human illustration.